carolina fiber fest

what a beautiful day! today (and tomorrow) is the carolina fiber fest. some friends and i packed into a car and zipped on south to sanford, nc.

this fiber fest use to be in raleigh, nc ... but i think they wanted to be able to have a bigger & better event with more animals ... so this location is truly ideal =)

and, this weekend, they are blessed with awesome weather!


yep, that's me ... baking in the sun ... at a whopping 59*. i was cooking. my friends were off & about, shopping and networking. me? ... i just wanted to knit on my sock. i was done shopping.

really.

to my right is a hank of yarn. i bought this at a booth by gerschubie fiber arts.



while i was sitting out there, i managed to wind my hank into a ball.

i'm not sure what i want to knit with this yet. of course, my first thought is socks! ... she said it is superwash, but i am skeptical. while i was winding the yarn, i felt it had quite a bit of "grab" or "tooth".

perhaps i will knit socks, and then a swatch --- and test the swatch --- to see if it passes the "felting" test.

so, that's all i got, until it was time to leave. and then, i found some other stuff.

i revisited this booth by KSC Designs. awesome stuff!

really ... i've been sewing since the age of 10. i've made dresses, gowns, pants, men shirts, swimwear, etc. i've sewn ...... so, i can appreciate the time, materials, and work that goes into the process & product.

her stuff is so well made. i wanted to buy everything. i wanted a crochet hook case, a dpn case, a long thingy to hang my circular needles from, and _____ .... stuff.

but, i only got a wee cute mini-notebook cover (when my  notebook is full, i can swap it out), and a nice zipped tote.




isn't it cute?! ... and functional!!!

so, that was a done deal. and as i looked at the various cases, and couldn't decide, and then i fell for this zippy tote.


it's quite roomy. it could be a (summer) weekend bag (if you don't pack like me!). i love that it has a zipper, because i totally hate it when i hit the breaks and my bag falls over, and everything falls out of it.


check out the sweet fabric ... little blue birds & mushrooms, and a splash of red. those little cherries or apples or, whatever they are, look like little balls of yarn to me. SOLD.

here's the inside. the base is firm vs. rigid, and is removable so i can wash my tote. she (dani miller) said, i can wash my bag in the machine, and press for finishing.

there are a couple of interior pockets inside as well. of course, i have my wishes for more pockets, and zippers, etc ... and all that labor would of course push the price up. kudos for the tote!

and double kudos for "made in the US". really!

after i got my tote, my friends and i regrouped at wolle's creations's booth. i ♥ love ♥ her yarn!

and i fell for this colorway ---- asparagus !!!

it's pretty. it makes me think of spring. and i'm going to knit something rather mindless with it ... i'm going to knit the bias 'before & after' scarf by churchmouse.

i will use the provisional cast on, as i want to add beads to each end.  i did consult with elisabeth, and she said she used a size 4mm needle. i have a pair of straights in that size, so ... hasta luego!